"Normal" Life

In February, we sent out an e-mail updating everyone on the current situation and struggles of our school. Every time a major deadline has occurred, we have managed to make it. Situations still arise, but we're in an OK place as a school right now. We wanted to thank everyone for praying for the school in these situations, and ask for continued prayer as we close out the school year (less than 2 months left).

In other news, we got to escape for a little while for our spring break. We took a one-flight trip this time, instead a 30 plus hour trip like Thailand. We went to Abu Dhabi and truly got to relax. We rode a camel, did some sand surfing, went four wheeling in the dessert, ate too many donuts, saw a movie, swam in the Arabian Gulf, and lounged by a pool. I’m so thankful for that escape. It came at a good time, and seems just enough to help get me to the end of the school year. Things like going out to a restaurant for a date with Levi is something I will never take for granted again. It was so nice to be able to walk around freely together, and have hints of western life every once and a while. It’s funny to me that I consider Dubai and Abu Dhabi a “western escape.” Coming from the US it doesn’t seem like one, but going there from here sure does! Of course…coming back to K-town with blooming trees and warmer weather made things a little easier. Our house finally thawed.
We didn't take many videos in Abu Dhabi, but we put what we had together to show a little glimpse. Feel free to check out some other pictures on our facebooks.

On a not as positive note about life here, I’m sure you saw the news this week or saw one of our facebook statuses. I spent about three and a half hours in my classroom with my class and third grade. We had our safe-room gates locked, curtains closed, and children silent (mostly). It’s hard being the mother hen in a situation like that. Trying to stay calm and not show any fear, while hearing gunfire and explosions in the distance, is not an easy task. I’m thankful for a God who lets me call on him at any moment. There was thankfully a slight lull in the action, and we got all of our students back with their families. We locked ourselves into our house on Sunday night, and went to bed around 10:15. By midnight we were up again because of the “sounds in the night.” We moved downstairs to the couch, and attempted sleeping. It was a rough and loud night. Psalm 91 has been a great passage for this entire year, but especially that night. Some of my favorite verses from it: vs. 4 and 5 “He will cover you with his feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day…” Talk about relevant!

Needless to say, we didn’t have school the next day. The fighting stopped around eight in the morning, and we were eventually cleared to leave our houses. We were blessed to share a pancake breakfast at another family’s house (on campus). It was a nice reminder of community, and a nice debriefing time.

It’s hard to explain, but I still do not fear living here. Yes, fear began to creep in through the loud booms, but there was still a reassuring peace in the morning. 

Thank you for your continued prayers for us, the students, school, the teachers, and this land.

Love you,

Kaley

little things

Well, we made it to March. It seems kind of hard to believe. This winter has been really harsh, and the closer we get to spring the better I feel. Today it got up to fifty degrees! This is quite an accomplishment. K-town has turned into one giant mud puddle, but I guess that's just an ugly side affect to the melting. It does say that there are chances we will have some snow/rain showers in the middle of our week, but for now I'm pretending that's not true.

We have 3 weeks until spring break. We're planning on taking only a 3 hour flight to a much closer destination than we did over fall break. The airline we take out of A-stan just started flying to Abu Dhabi. We're excited to just go see a movie (hopefully The Hunger Games!!!), walk around the beach, ride a camel, and be WARM! Oh, and of course eat some good food. No, don't worry, no crickets this time.

As far as school stuff goes...We got our proposed schedule for next year. I'm so excited because I'll be teaching middle and high school next year. As of now, it's looking like 7th grade Oral Comm. (my students from this year), 8th grade Writing, 9th grade English, 10th grade Eng., and 11/12 Honors Eng. :) Excuse my nerdy-ness as I get really excited about this!

Other recent things...we finally got off lockdown. That's a plus. We've driven to the store...and we've walked to the store once. These are good things...good, good things.

We had a talent show. "Michael Jackson" won. :)

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Positive - Everything is melting. Negative - Water damage is all over our campus. This is some of our damage, and we've been pretty lucky.

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Basketball:

Our school is putting in a full size basketball court. Levi is really excited to get to play on it. 

Our girl's basketball team played in the National Women's Day tournament this week and got 3rd in the country! 

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Overall, we're making it one day at a time on our side of the world. Please keep praying for A-stan and some of the challenges that teaching in this country can bring. Please pray for our students, their families, and the staff of our school. We're thankful to be here each and every day. 

-Kaley

...And We're Back

Well, we didn't do a very good job of sharing our break via blog.  I had every intention of at least one or two more posts while back in the US but it didn't happen.  We were able though to get a good amount of rest while still seeing a lot of family and friends. Now we're back in K-town and 11 days into our return.

We spent the first part of our break in Maryland with Kaley's family and spent the second half in Ohio with my family. We managed a trip to Indianapolis in between with my family to see the Indiana Pacers opening game of the 2011-12 NBA season.  We were able to share a lot of stories about our first 5 months here with friends and family.  Unfortunately we weren't able to make it to Nashville while back due to our limited time but we look forward to spending time there this summer and seeing everyone we missed this time around.

We left Jan 4th to fly back and arrived in K-town Jan 6th.  Our fourth and final flight of the trip had an unexpected detour to another city that starts with K in the south of the country.  Needless to say by the time we got back we were pretty exhausted, but still happy to be back.  There's such a contrast between our first arrival in August and arriving back after living here for 5 months.  Most of the fear is gone or at least better managed and it is much more about just getting "home" and getting back to work.  I suppose that's a good thing.  School started back Jan 7th and we're half way through our second week already.

The highlight of our time back has by far been the winter snow that we got here over the past 3 days or so.  In all we wound up with around a foot of snow.  However, because of being 6,000 ft above sea level, it all started melting almost as soon as it stopped falling and the sun came out.  Melting snow means one thing here...  Mud.  Everywhere.  That's ok though.  It's been a long time since I've seen this much snow and I'm willing to endure a week or two of mud for it.

Below are some pictures of the snow here this past week.

-Levi

Thoughts on the Break...

After nearly 40 hours of travel, we landed in Baltimore on Saturday morning.  We have a a little under 3 weeks before we make the same trip in the opposite direction.  It's been a challenge to make the 9.5 hour adjustment back to eastern standard time.  I woke up at 1 am this morning and have been up ever since so today (Monday) may be a challenge.

I've spent a lot of these past 3 weeks or so wondering what it would be like to come back to the US after being gone for a while. Now that we've made it back though I still feel like I'm looking for the answers to the questions I had before we left on Friday. I think it's more of a reconciliation that I'm looking for.  I'm trying to reconcile life there to life here and somehow bridge the gap between the life I witnessed and experienced there and the life I knew here and am witnessing now that I'm back.

I think I'd have to carry pencil and paper around with me 24/7 in order to capture all the different thoughts and feelings that come with being back but unfortunately I haven't done that.  I have written a list of observations and notes on the past week below though.  While I wish these were all insightful observations about life there and here - most are not.  Hopefully they are a glimpse into our travels and our break thus far though.

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- Dubai in December was 10 times better than Dubai in August.  I'm strictly judging the entire city based on the weather but hopefully that goes to show how amazing the weather felt there during our 12 hour layover on Friday.

- I think going directly from K-town to Dubai is almost more of an economic/culture shock than going straight to the US would be.  Downtown Dubai (where we spent the day) is quite possibly the most modern and wealthy appearing city I have ever seen.  For lack of a better example, going straight there from K-town is sort of like watching an episode of the Flintstones and then immediately watching an episode of the Jetsons.  It's hard to reconcile the two.  (I realize there are a lot of flaws in that comparison but it's all I've got at 4 in the morning...)

- As soon as we landed in Dubai, Kaley and I both realized our clothes and suitcases all smelled like some sort of kerosene/fire combination.  Funny how you never notice such a strong smell until you go somewhere where everything doesn't smell the same.

- Still trying to figure out why our meal on the flight from k-town to Dubai had 2 plain hotdogs in the container with the eggs.  I guess they were going for sausage and eggs...

- My favorite part of the whole trip back was definitely going to see Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol in the movie theater at the Dubai Mall.  A large portion of the movie was filmed in Dubai at the Burj Khalifa (tallest building in the world) which is connected to the mall and literally right outside the movie theater.  We watched the movie and then walked outside and had dinner in the shadow of the building.

- Every 4 hours or so during our 16 hr flight I would remember I was on a plane and 39,000 ft above the earth and get really worried we were going to run out of fuel or something during the long flight.  I get so lost in the movies and tv shows you can watch on the plane that most of the time I forget my surroundings and might as well be on a bus on the highway.  Then I remember and get freaked out...

- Because we left Dubai at 11 pm and were flying west, it was dark outside the plane the entire 16 hr flight.  It felt a little like we were in a race with the sun and sunrise and we were winning...  until we landed in atlanta.

- Upon arrival in Atlanta saturday morning, we made our way via underground train from terminal E all the way to terminal A just to find the chic-fil-a and eat breakfast.  Then we had to quickly make our way back to terminal B in order to not miss our flight to Baltimore.  I have missed Chic-fil-a.

- I am really enjoying the high speed internet and being able to watch videos on espn.com and nba.com.

- I'm having a hard time remembering you can throw toilet paper in the toilet here and don't have to put it in the trash can.  That's all I'm going to say about that...

- I don't think it's sunk in that I can go anywhere I want yet.  I'm so used to a list of only 20 places I can go to and that was contingent on if security is good and there's a driver to take me.  I had stretches over the past 4 months where I didn't leave school/home for 10 days or more and if I did it was only for a 30 minute trip to the grocery store.

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That's all I've got for now. We've been back less than 48 hours though and I'm sure more will come. In the meantime I hope everyone is able to make good memories with family and friends during these holidays and hopefully enjoy some sort of break from work and the busyness that consumes so much of life.

Kaley and I have to make decisions very soon about what we are going to do after this school year and there are a lot of different factors that will play into that decision.  Any prayers would be greatly appreciated as we try and sort through the decision process.

We will be updating this a few more times while we are here so look for more posts (probably with a lot of pictures!).

-levi


The mountains from our roof a few days before we left.  The best time to see the snow is at sunrise!

A few pictures from the plane as we were taking off.

Hanging out in Dubai.  The last picture is from our table at dinner.  Good view of the tallest building in the world.

A 12 Year Old's Goal

My students were assigned their first five-paragraph essay. Their topic was "about me." It could be about things they like, what they want to be, goals they have, or what they enjoy doing. I had many mixed topics, as you can imagine with 6th grade. Some were pretty sad, and others were on the humorous side.

One of my students wrote an essay that is very hopeful for this country. He is very smart, but I call him my mad scientist. He is a little scattered brained and can be very forgetful. This five-paragraph essay was only 4 paragraphs, and it was turned in two days late. Sadly, this made it hard to get a good grade, but it's very good. He WILL do incredible things for this nation one day.

We'll call him A. Remember, he is twelve. I watched him write the whole thing in class. He didn't explain all three of his main points, but I had to share this. He told me I could share his essay. I'll type it exactly as it is written...except for some astricts for safety.

"My name is A; I am a boy who lives in the middle of a battlefield, in a country at war. I am twelve years old and I was born in Isl*mab*d, P-stan, on October 9, 1999. Life is hard in A-stan, but I believe that in every heart there is a glimmer of hope. In the following story I will tell you about me. I hope that one day A-stan will have peace, also I want to become a scientist and inventor to help A-stan, a last I want unity and peace between the nations of the world.

A-stan is a country at war with ter*or*sm. It seems that peace will never come back to this country due to the fact that this country has been at war for 30 years. I hope that peace will come to A-stan someday, and I hope that that someday will come soon. Even with all these wars, I do believe that there is hope and as long as we have hope we can stand strong and united. When we stand strong and united, we can stand against our enemy and through hard work we can reach our goal. I hope there will be peace one day in A-stan, and when there is hope there is a chance.

My final hope is that the nations of the world stand united and peaceful. This helps to create peace between the nations. We aready have the U.**N. as a good example of this unity. Still, there are countries that are not in the U.**N. and some are still at war. I hope that something better than the U.**N. forms, a group that maintains peace and includes all of the countries of the world. My final hope is that we stand united and have peace so that we can make Earth the greatest and most peacful planet of the universe.

I hope that one day A-stan will have peace, and lastly I want unity and peace between the nations of the world. These are my biggest goals. I will do my best at reaching these goals, and I will start today. I will talk to anyone who has the same hope of peace to join me, so that we can stand united and strong against obstacles and reach our goals."

There is hope for A-stan, and I am happy to see glimpses of it in its future leaders (the ones in my classroom everyday). :)

-K

Thailand

We have spent the past 5 days in northern Thailand.  It has been amazing and been a much needed break from normal day to day life.  We leave to begin the trip back in a couple of hours.  We are spending one night in India on the way back and hopefully we will get out in the city for an hour or two while we are there.  We have posted a ton of photos on facebook if you want to see what our time here has looked like.  I've also posted a video below.  The video is from our trip here in Thailand. I haven't been able to upload the videos/pictures until now due to slow internet.  Thankfully the internet connection here has been great!

-L

Outings

First off, we have only two weeks until fall break! We're going to Thailand with some other staff. I can't wait, but you'll hear about that later.

It's been a good month (and a little more) since we've blogged. I keep trying to convince L to blog, but he's busy with work. It's been too long, so he just told me to do it. Before I tell you about yesterday's trip, here are a few things from the past month or so:
1. It's getting cold here.
2. I have seen two rainbows (one today!!) about a week apart here. Rain is rare, but this year it has rained. AND, we've been reminded of His promise - even here!
3. We went to the mil*tary base and went to a bazaar. so awesome. We also met a friend and got a tour. :)
4. We're having food cravings like nobody's business. (Sweet Cece's, Chick-Fil-A, McDougal's, Chipotle, Cheesecake Factory...to name only a few!)

Anyways...Our entire staff was invited to a private garden outside of K-town. The man who invited us is very wealthy, and a friend of a national teacher. He's also high up in the phone company the staff uses. First, we went on about an hour drive out of the city to another province. He sent vans to pick us up, and had us escorted with armed guards the whole way. It was so nice getting to go outside of the city. Things look different. Yes, it was still dusty and pretty barren at times, but we did get to see some TREES! We actually got to see some fall color. Everyone in our van was in awe when we drove by yellow and orange trees. Fall is my favorite, and this made my fall. I feel like I can make it through the season now. Those of you who are surrounded with beautiful fall leaves, please enjoy it for us. Don't take it for granted.

When we got to his garden, we were all taken aback. It was breath-taking, literally. I have never seen so many cameras pop out at once. Everyone just started clicking away. They had toe-shacks and rugs set up under a big yellow tree, and they served us breakfast there. Special Afg*an tea, chicken, naan, cookies...the works. We got to walk around freely (with no chadar) and just enjoy the flowers/colors. It rained while we were there. Usually, you would think this would ruin an outdoor event, but it just made it more enjoyable. We hung out under the big tree or in the pavilion and listened to the rain. I am so thankful for that experience.

After breakfast in the garden, we headed back to K-town to go to his house for lunch. There is a lake along the way. Many of the staff who have been here had never been there, or hadn't been in years. We went on a big bridge over the water, and got out and took some pictures. Oh, and it was right next to the K-town Golf Course. Oh, yes, nine holes of good ole' K-town dust to golf on. :) I don't know if I was more nervous because of my fear of bridges, or the attention we drew to ourselves. Anyways, it was awesome to see, and to try to soak in the memory of it.

At this man's house...or should I say mansion...we got to relax and take a tour. He has a private gym, two kitchens, a movie theatre, a sauna, and a fabulous roof. We ate local food, which I can take or leave most times. Pepto Bismal is always on hand in those situations. They cooked us lamb that they had just killed (with the head still on), and turkey (not your average Thanksgiving turkey). The spicy macaroni was my favorite part, and the fruit pie for dessert. Eating on toe-shacks and always being checked on to see if you need more food or fruit or tea or, or, or...It's humbling to be served so much.

We went out and took some pictures from his roof. It was really messing with me while I was up there. He has this immaculate home, but right outside of his gate is a tent city. One of the Afg*an tribes is set-up in tents with donkeys and goats roaming and eating trash. The children are washing clothes in the mud puddles. As we pulled on the street for his house, we passed acres of refugee camps filled with the same. As I saw those children, I just kept hearing "they are beautifully and wonderfully made," over and over again in my head. These are people just the same as you and I. I wish I could get some people to see and understand that. Yes, situations are different, but these are people. They are loved and cherished by God just as much as anyone else.

All this to say, A-stan is beautiful. And, this weekend was such a blessing. God knows what we need, and just at the right time.


Once again, the photos won't load on here. Check facebook for photos from the weekend.